EU to bolster border agency as refugee emergency deepens

1of8German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, speaks with British Prime Minister David Cameron at the EU summit in Brussels - the fourth such meeting on immigration issues.
﻿Photo: Francois Walschaerts, STR

2of8German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, speaks with British Prime Minister David Cameron, center, and French President Francois Hollande as they meet on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015. (Yves Herman, Pool Photo via AP)Photo: Yves Herman, Pool

3of8A child walks past a checkpoint on the Serbian side of the border toward Croatia near the village of Berkasovo, near Sid, Serbia, on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015. The migrants and refugees are struggling with the autumn rain and the cold as EU leaders are discussing in Brussels how to deal with the crisis. (AP Photo/Amel Emric)Photo: Amel Emric, STF

4of8British Prime Minister David Cameron, left, speaks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker prior to a meeting at EU headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015. European Union heads of state meet Thursday to discuss, among other issues, the current migration crisis. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)Photo: Virginia Mayo, STF

5of8A group of migrants make their way over a meadow after crossing the border between Austria and Germany in Wegscheid near Passau, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)Photo: Matthias Schrader, STF

6of8Migrants gesture into the camera on their way past meadows and fields to cross the border between Austria and Germany in Mistlberg, Austria, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)Photo: Matthias Schrader, STF

BRUSSELS - European Union leaders agreed Thursday to boost the protection of its outer frontiers to help contain the refugee emergency and gave its border agency more clout to deport people who do not qualify for asylum.

But the 28 leaders struggled to persuade a reluctant Turkey to do more to stop tens of thousands of refugees entering the bloc - despite new plans for increased financial support, the easing visa restrictions for Turkish citizens and accelerating the country's EU membership talks.

Indeed, the summit in Brussels - the fourth this year focused on the refugee crisis - bore little fruit, amid infighting between countries like Germany and Sweden who have taken a larger role in the refugee crisis and several eastern nations who have done less.

Senior EU officials also complained that many member states had failed to live up to pledges to provide more funds, and experts to help fingerprint and screen people.

The meeting came as the International Organization for Migration said that more than 600,000 people had arrived by sea into Europe this year and more than 3,000 of them died trying to reach Europe to escape war or poverty. Many entered through Greece from Turkey - home to some 2 million Syrian refugees who have overwhelmed the country's coast guard and meager reception facilities.

The one positive note on Thursday was the agreement to boost the Frontex border agency, as the EU mulls whether to set up a European border guard, which could help patrol Greece's patchwork island border with Turkey.

"In the coming months, the agency will develop into a more operational body," EU Council President Donald Tusk said. "Our aim is to give Frontex the right to return irregular migrants on its own initiative and to make it more proactive in protecting external borders." Estimates based on EU figures suggest that possibly a third of the people arriving in Europe might not qualify for asylum.

But no fresh pledges of money were made, despite a promise by the leaders last month to stump up hundreds of millions of euros for Syrian refugees and to help Africa better manage its borders.

The Commission has complained that only three of 28 nations have pledged a total of just $13.7 million to a fund to help African nations better manage their borders. The pot is meant to total $2 billion over two years.

Frontex and the EU asylum office have appealed for a total of around 1,000 officers to help fingerprint people and decide whether they are eligible for asylum. So far, about a dozen of the 28 EU nations have offered around 130 personnel.

"We can, and must, do much better," Tusk said, adding that the influx of migrants could get much worse.

In their final statement, the leaders gave "political support" for an action plan for Turkey to help it manage its own refugee emergency, but a final agreement proved elusive and discussions in Ankara will continue in coming days.